Hetalia PrussElle
by Jordan Mizakina
Summary: There's a story that's before this one that my friend's writing... And I really wanted to continue it. This centers around my character, Sorrelle, and Gilbert/Prussia. WARNING: Smut! Don't like, don't read! Enjoy !


Sorrelle slipped on the black t-shirt and boxers with a black eagle on the back. Gilbert had already gotten up and made breakfast, which was waiting downstairs for her. She ran her fingers through her hair and looked into the mirror.  
"Guten Morgen, mein Schmetterling." Gilbert walked into the room, a slight smile on his face.  
"G-Gil-!" She spun around to look at him, "I thought you were downstairs. You scared the hell outta me!"  
"I had to give you a good morning kiss..." He moved in on her and pressed his lips to hers. When he pulled away, they were both smiling. "Oh, and I'll need my boxers back."  
She sighed, "Damn. And they're so comfortable, too." She slipped them off and flung them in his face.  
"Ah! He caught them as they fell, "Sorrelle, don't do that to me!"  
She shrugged and left the room, "Whatever..."  
Gil's eyes widenned as he watched his girlfriend of ten months walk out of the room wearing only his black t-shirt. "D-damnit... She's so crazy."  
Hearing this, she turned around, "Aren't you coming down to breakfast?"  
His cheeks turned a shade of red similar to his eyes, "S-Sorrelle...?"  
"Huh?"  
"Ich liebe dich."  
She smiled at him, "Ich liebe dich mehr!"  
"Nien." He walked toward her, "You can't possibly love someone more than I love you."  
"Wanna bet?" She stood on her tiptoes to look him straight in the eyes.  
"I don't make bets on such things." Instinctively, he moved his hands to the small of her back, "I will, however, bet that my pancakes are the most awesome pancakes you'll ever taste."  
"You're such a dork, "She giggled, "But you're my dork."  
"Oh? Really?" He picked her up so she was two inches above the ground, "That makes you mein Schmetterling."  
"Really." She gave him a long, lingering kiss, "Damn. I don't wanna go to work today."  
"So stay here, with me." He kissed her back, biting her lip gently.  
"I have to. We're doing the scenes that I'm in..."  
"Hm... And here I thought you'd just skip work to spend the day with me. I'm wounded." He let a small grin tug at his lips, "One missed rehersal won't hurt, will it? I want you all to myself today."  
Just then, a knock came at the door. "Damn. I don't have pants on. Can you get it?" Sorrelle let go of his neck, "And maybe I'll think about skipping rehersals."  
"Alright," He kissed her, letting a small moan escape himself, "I'll be..." Another kiss, "Right back." He let her go and went downstairs to the door. Moments later, he called to her. "Sorrelle! It's Ella and Lud!"  
"Verdammt," She spat under her breath. "Okay! I'm going to put something on and I'll be right down." She opened the closet door and pulled out a dress that Gil particularly liked. Slipping it on over her bra, she walked to the dresser and got underwear.  
"They say it's important official map business!" He called up to her.  
Rushing down the stairs, she skidded to a stop, "Hm? Map business? What type of business?"  
Ella laughed, "Calm down! We just said that to make you hurry."  
"How mean..." She glared at the three, "Well, come on in..." She opened the door wide enough for the guests to walk in, then closed it. "Coffee?"  
"Nah. I've already had breakfast." Ella shrugged.  
"Nein." Ludwig shook his head, "I've already had some at Ella's house."  
"Okay. So, what's up?" She sat on the couch, followed by Gil, Ella, and Ludwig.  
"Well, we miss you guys. The others, too. We're having a masquerade ball on Friday at the lake and were wondering-" Ella began.  
"We'd love to, Ella. That's such a great idea. Don't you think, Sorrelle?" Gil put his arm around her and gave a gentle squeeze.  
"What time? I mean, Friday is one of my rare days off, and... Well, with my crazy work schedule, we don't get much time together..."  
"Eight until three in the morning, Saturday. Will you come? Please? It'd mean alot!" Ella looked at her older sister eagerly.  
"Of course." She gave in. "How could I say no to that face?" It was a goodnatured joke that they all smiled at, "But what will we wear?"  
"Costumes, of course! We can go to my tailor in Berlin. He should make us some awesome stuff." Gil grinned, "I can't wait!"  
"Hm... But what'll we dress as?" Sorrelle moved in on him.  
"Depends," He gave a nervous look to his brother, Ludwig, and Ella, "What's the theme?"  
Ella shrugged, "Whatever you want~!"  
Ludwig seemed to be thinking hard about something, and the couple took notice, "What is it, Lud?" Sorrelle was the first to speak up, "You seem worried about something."  
"You two." He gave a light smile at her, "How the others will survive you."  
"Oh, I'm sure they can handle it." Gilbert waved his hand dismissively, "We're too quiet to have much of an effect."  
"That's what I'm concerned about." A teasing smile tugged at Ella's lips, "They won't have any warning when they go and get their coats. They'll just open the door and-"  
"Ella! You know that's not how we are in public!" Sorrelle protested.  
"Sorrelle, it's for your own safety that we ask you not to-"  
"We haven't done anything, Ludwig!" Gilbert became annoyed at his brother, "You won't let us even though even you are sure that she's strong enough!"  
"There's still that doubt, Gilbert! Don't you understand! We care bout you guys, too!" Ella stood up, angry at the country and her older sister figure, "If either of you were to hurt the other-"  
"Look, guys, I've got rehersals to go to. Can we please discuss this, ah, situation later?" Sorrelle saw an argument beginning.  
Ludwig sighed, "Of couse. We should be going anyway. We've still got to go to five other countries and tell them."  
"Yes. I'll call you later, Sorrelle." With that, Ella and Ludwig hurried out the door.  
"You're not going, are you?" Gilbert snickered.  
"No. I just wanted you all to myself." Sorrelle tucked her feet up and put her arms around his neck, "You know, we could disobey them. They'd never know."  
"Sorrelle, they'd know."  
"Oh? How so?" She moved onto his leg, "If you won't tell, I won't either."  
"S-Sorrelle... You know we can't-" He was having trouble choosing his words.  
"Heh. You're so childish." She let go and stood up, "I'm going to go shower."  
"Mein Gott, Sorrelle!" He breathed a sigh of relief, "I thought we agreed that I was going to-"  
"You won't man up," She teased, "So I had to." With that, she left the room.  
"Hmph. How mean... I'm not childish. I'm awesome..."  
"I heard that!" She peeked her head around a wall, "And if you're so 'awesome' you won't be opposed to a little competition."  
"Competition...? What do you want to compete over?"  
"Heh... Not me! My ex from hgh school is coming to visit. I invited him." She stuck her tongue out at him and hurried up the stairs.  
"Damnit... She set me up..." He continued to pout for a few moments, then decided that he, too, needed a shower. "Sorrelle..." He peeked his head around the door, "Can I come in?"  
She turned around and slipped, startled by his sudden appearance, "W-wha-!"  
"Mein Gott! Es tut mir leid!" He hurried over to the shower and helped her up, "Are you okay?"  
"Idiot... If you wanted to share, why didn't you just follow me up in the first place? Maybe your brother was right. Maybe you did become too strong to handle yourself."  
"Lud's never right. And I can so handle myself!"  
"Right... And I'm the Queen of England." Sorrelle rolled her eyes.  
"Settle for the Queen of Prussia?" His eyes softenned as he teased her.  
"Shut up and get your ass in here." She punched his stomach gently.  
"Yeah... Uhm... Help?"  
She blinked at him, confused for a moment, then threw her head back in laughter, "Help you! With what? Thought you said you were strong enough to do things for yourself!"  
He shrugged, "I just don't feel like doing this particular thing by myself. So, I'm asking you to do it for me. Will you?"  
"What is it, Gil? You know I won't agree to do anyone a favor until I know what exactly that favor is."  
He smirked, his red eyes gaining an evil glint, "Help me get my shirt off?"  
Once more, she looked at him for a moment then laughed, "That's what you want me to help you with?" She sighed, "Sit down and put your arms up. You're too tall for me to help you while you're standing!"  
He did what she asked with an obedient smile, "And because you chose these stupid skinny jeans for me, and I always trip when I try to get them off, wanna help with them, too?"  
"No. Just your shirt. You're a big boy, Gil." She pulled his t-shirt over his head, "Since you're so 'awesome' you can do it on your own."  
"But Sorrelle-"  
"No arguing. You can take your own damned pants off!" She threw his shirt out into the hallway, "If you can't even do that then-"  
"Fine! You're so mean to me!" He stood up and feigned pouting.  
"Mein Gott! Macht schnell!" She yelled up at him in his native tongue.  
He shakily pulled off his belt and threw it aside, "It's your fault... If I trip, that's your fault, too..." Gilbert was still pretending to pout.  
"UN-awesome idiot." She grumbled under her breath just loud enough so he could hear her.  
"What was that!" He hopped on one leg, his pants unbuttoned, trying to get his leg out. "Damnit! These things are so-" Suddenly he tripped and fell towards Sorrelle, catching himself by putting his hands on the wall and accidentally blocking her in.  
"Ah!" Sorrelle was still turned toward him, "What the hell, Gil!"  
"S-Sorry... I told you that I'd trip..." Once more, he began to pout.  
"Okay, I give up. I'll help you get your pants off... Jeez." She ducked under his arms, "You'll have to lay down, and of course even then we'll be in an awkward position..." She was thinking how she could possibly get him out of his pants with the least trouble, "I'd be practically crushing your lungs... And your legs would have to be up so I could pull..."  
"S-Sorrelle...?" Gil thought of her plan in his head, "I-Is that what they were afraid of...?" His face turned a shade of red darker than his eyes.  
"Hm?" She stopped thinking for a moment and looked at him. "You're so cute when you blush~!" She patted his cheek and smiled, only making his cheeks burn more.  
"Eh...? Why are you... er... What are we ging to..." He fumbled over his words, focusng on the floor. Only after the two had acknowledged that they were in love did things begin to get awkward between them. It was as if admitting such things meant giving the comfortable, safe relationship up.  
"If you just lay down, then I can get your pants off, we can get our shower, and then go get some breakfast."  
He sighed, trying to calm his racing heart, "Alright..." Slowly he made his way to the floor and laid on his back, "So... How is this going to work? How will you-" Before he could finish his next sentance, Sorrelle sat down on his chest.  
"Gimme a leg," He couldn't see her face, but he knew she was blushing, too. "C'mon! Hurry!"  
"R-right..." He put his left leg up, "How will you pull from this position? I mean, you can barely reach my knee, let alone past my ankle..."  
"Oh..." She stared at his stomach, "I should move, then!" She slid down so she was straddling his stomach.  
"Sorrelle, I think it'd be easier if you stand..." He sat up on his elbows, "Then you'd have more room to pull..."  
She sighed, "I'm no good at this..." She set her face in her hands, her elbows terribly close to his hips, "Maybe the scissors would work better, after all..."  
"What! But you bought these pants for me!" He protested, "I don't want to destroy anything you give to me! Just stand down by my feet and pull them off!"  
"Eh...? What's this?" It was clear she was paying no attention to him, "What do you have in your pocket, Gil?"  
"I-in my pocket...?" He stopped protesting and looked at the back of her head, confused, "Nothing's in my pocket... Why?"  
She put her hand in his right pocket curiously, "Then what's with this wierd bulge? It can't be a bug bite on your leg..." She squished the spot curiously, thinking of what it could posibly be.  
"S-stop!" Gil struggled, "Don't do tha-ah!"  
"Does it hurt...?" She looked over her shoulder at his burning face.  
"No. I just-I don't want you touching it, okay!" He looked away from her, trying to hide his burning cheeks.  
"Then why can't I touch it?" She tilted her head, "If it's not a bug bite, and it's not in your pocket... What is it? It could be a bruise, but then it'd need ice right away..."  
"M-mein Gott! You're so innocent!" He was shocked that she hadn't figured it out already, "If you're so damned curious, I dare you to reach down and touch it without my pants as a barrier!"  
"Eh...?" She blinked at him for a moment, then turned back to the pocket, "O-okay..." She began shaking as she realized what it was. Sorrelle couldn't say anything now. It'd be admitting defeat. And anyway, she had too much to prove to Ludwig and Ella. Carefully, almost with surgical precision, she pulled back his pantsand slipped her hand down onto his warm thigh.  
"Wrong side, mein Leiben." Gil was laughing inside at Sorrelle's innocence. He knew that she had figured it out, and was only avoiding the truth. Now he need only to wait and watch as she lost her innocence.  
"O-oh..." She felt around to what she thought was the other side and found the lump once more. It wasn't soft as she had initially thought, but tough and strong. She grabbed at it shakily and gave a small pinch.  
"Ah! Elle, don't do-!" It was too late. She wrapped two fingers around it and squeezed gently. "Sorrelle, remember what Lud and-" He couldn't help letting out a yelp.  
"It does hurt, doesn't it? Probably from me making you wear these jeans..."  
"Nein, nein..." His cheeks continued to burn, "I-it helps, actually... The pressure, I mean..."  
"So... If I were to squeeze it more, then it'd go away?"  
_Penises don't work that way,_ He thought, almost laughing. "Sure, if you think so..."  
Gathering all her courage, Sorrelle wrapped her whole hand around the thing and squeezed. When she did this, what she though was puss oozed out of the thing. "Oh! It's infected!"  
"No, i-it's fine... Just, I think I'll be fine now..." He thought about all his brother's warnings, how she could die if they did anything more, and how there were so many people who truly cared about them.  
"But it's still there... It's getting worse, Gil..."  
He couldn't take it any longer. He had to say something. "Ah, Sorrelle?"  
"Hm?"  
"Penises... They don't work that way..." He held his breath and tightly closed his eyes, waiting for her to punch him. No punch came, though, and he opened his eyes to find Sorrelle blushing almost as badly as himself.  
"O-oh... I should stop?" She bit her lip nervously.  
He couldn't help but laugh at her innocence, "I think so. Before this gets out of hand, we should contain it..."  
"What's there to contain? It's just a freak accident, after all."  
"You're so innocent, even if you claim not to be." He shook his head, still smiling, "How did you ever survive high school and college?"  
"I survived high school by not socializing." She shrugged, "As for college... I didn't survive that. I met you."  
"We met at the end of your sophmore year of college. So, you had to survive the first two years _somehow_, right?"  
"Same way I survived high school. I didn't socialize."  
"What about Ella, and the others?"  
"They're more like family than friends. All I ever really did was study and spend time with them... My freshman year I was lucky enough to get a single dorm, so I didn't have to live with some stranger. Then I got a job and an appartment. I had only lived here for three months when I met you..."  
"Heh... Sorry..." He realized that he was a stranger when they first met, and that moving in with her must have really stressed her out.  
"Whatever." Sorrelle stood up, "We're being wasteful; the water's still running. Get your own damned pants off."  
It was like a slap in the face. "So much like Austria... How does that happen?"  
"Austria is more tight-fisted than me. I just don't like wasting things when they're still useful, like water. If underwear have a giant hole in them, or... in your case, cum stains, they should be thrown away." She stepped into the shower, "Hurry up. It won't be warm for much longer."  
He sighed and pulled his jeans off, turning them inside out in the process, "What if I wanted a cold shower...? After all, it's summer..."  
"Cold water doesn't kill germs as well as hot water. So, say you're a giant germ on my chest-"  
"O-on your chest...?" He looked at her, wide-eyed and blushing, "W-why would I be on your chest...?"  
"It's just an example, idiot!" She spashed water at him, "ANYWAY, say you're a giant germ on my chest. If you're not a good germ, you should get off of me and die. Hot water will kill you, and soap will get you off of me. If you're a good germ, you should be strong enough to cling to me and survive."  
"So... Those germs on your hands should-what? Die, or live?"  
"That depends on which germs they are. There are thousands-no, millions-of germs on the human hand... So, which germs are you referring to?" She looked at him, genuinely curious.  
"Damnit, Sorrelle! You're so technical! _My_ germs! Happy! What should the germs from me do? Live or die?"  
She shrugged. "That depends. I don't think they'll harm my health any-"  
"They can live?" He succeeded in sounding too hopeful.  
"But I don't think they'll improve it, either..."  
"Gah! Why are you going to kill them! You're such a murderer!"

She splashed him with the now icy-cold water, "I'm saying it depends on their strength. Considering that normal semen cells can only live about a day outside the body unless frozen... And your cells are naturally stronger because you're a country..."  
His face began to burn, "_Now_ who's being evasive!"  
"They've probably already been washed off..."  
"Murderer!" He recoiled away from her jokingly.  
She turned away from him and back to the cold showerhead, "You can make more. The male reproductive system is always making semen."  
"I had no idea..." He stared at her in shock.  
"Wow. You're really dense."  
"No, I mean I had no idea you were so damned corrupt! Pervert!"  
She splashed him in the face, "Coming from you? You're the one who wanted help undressing! And then getting a boner while I was trying to be helpful! How inconsiderate!"  
He flailed, tripping on his legs in the process, "I can't control it! Penises don't work that way, damnit!"  
Sorrelle laughed, then quickly stifled it.  
"Oh, you think that's funny?" He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her down onto him, "How about now, huh?"  
They were both laughing freely now. Sorrelle gently pushed him away, "We're getting your clothes wet! Stop!"  
"You don't _really_ want me to stop, do you?" She saw his grin spreading over his face.  
"I do so!" She looked away from him, only to find that'd he'd shifted so she'd be lookinat him again.  
"Really? You don't want to just kiss this gorgeous face of mine?"  
"You're an idiot." She would always call him an idiot, nothing stronger. They really did love each other, even if it looked like a love/hate relationship from the outside.  
"And you're all wet."  
"You pulled me out of a shower."  
"Well, in a way, yes. That _is_ where I found you." She knew what he was referring to. The night they met, the thunderstorm. He blushed nervously, "But really, you're all wet..."  
"Yeah... As I've said before, you pulled me from a shower."  
"So you're back to playing innocent, huh?" He poked her playfully in the stomach, "But I know you're not that innocent~!"  
"Stop it!" She laughed. "I'm going to bite you!"  
He took on an air of darkness, "Go right ahead... But remember, I bite back." He bit her ear carefully, so he didn't hurt her piercing.  
She stood up and grabbed the towel, "Come downstairs when you're out of the shower."  
"Right..."

Once she got downstairs, she suddenly remembered something from two years ago. What if he actually _did_want a family? She knew that he'd never really had much of a family, or a childhood. Gilbert had always been too busy running an empire back then to think of that kind of thing. Then his little brother came along. Ludwig was, however, not childish in the least. He took oer the kingdom and forced Gil to move in with him. He was demanding and always striving to be the best. Gil had achieved that at one point, and knew that it was lonely at the top. "I'm sorry, Gil..." She shook her head and forced herself to think about other things, but just couldn't focus on them very well. She thought of how terrified she was of the concept of family, how her friends were the only ones she'd ever considered family after her sister's death, and how if she ever had children she'd be too scared of losing them to love them.

Gil hurried down the stairs, still buttoning his shirt, "Sorrelle, these buttons are too small!" He fumbled around with his shirt, clearly faking, "And I can't find Gilbird! I think he might be down in the cellar, but I'm not sure." Sorrelle had set aside a small area for Gilbird after Gilbert had decided that it was perfectly fine to have a chicken in the house.  
She sighed, setting down the hot tea she'd just made, "Come here. I'll fix your shirt. After that you can check the basement for Gilbid. He's always down there." Gilbird had become like a child of sorts, and was treated as such. This was the only child that Sorrelle had ever imagined taking care of.  
"Kay..." He let her fix his shirt without complaint, "So, are we going over to Ella's today?"  
"Yes. Later, for dinner. The others will be there so you need to look presentable. That's why you're going to wear this tie." She held up a tie that she'd found at his house in Leipzig. It was made of an expensive black silk without a single flaw.  
"What about you?" He stared intently down at her, "What're you going to wear?"  
"Clothes, of course." She gently mussed his bangs, "A t-shirt and shorts probably."  
"Why do I have to be all black-tie while you get to be... casual? And besides, you're so pretty in dresses..."  
"Gil, we've been through this. Dresses make me feel naked and they're too tempting for you to play with... Plus I've just always hated them. So, I wear them only at home because it's amusing to watch you squirm and try to hold back."  
"Do I have to show you the pictures?" A sly grin tugged at his lips, "The ones that you let me collect and turn into trading cards?"  
"Speaking of which, Austria told me you've been 'trading' them with the other countries..."  
"He's lying! I'd never-"  
Sorrelle held up a trading card of herself in a light blue dress, unimpressed. "Antonio gave this to me after some rather interesting conversation."  
"He stole it," Gil sputtered, "I'd never give away such precious things!"  
She sighed, "Prussia was officially dissolved in 1947, but ceased to exist long before that..." Sorrelle had taken to teasing Gilbert with historical facts about his country's defeat. For some reason, it made him uncomfortable.  
"Stop calling me Prussia! You're not the map keeper! Ella is!"  
"So," Continued Sorrelle, "If I were to kill him, he wouldn't be missed by the others..." A sly grin crept across her face.  
"I would so! People care about me!"  
"Oh?" Sorrelle flung back at him, "Who?"  
"You... Ella, Mattie, Ludwig, Antonio, and Francis, for starters."  
"Six people?" She raised her eyebrows, "That's all you can think of?"  
"I'm going t get you for that." He pouted.  
"Wanna bet~? You know I can out-run you."  
"Let's go, then." He smirked, "I'll give you a five second head start, then I'll come after you. If I catch you, then more people do care about me. If you're too fast... You win."  
"I won't need the head start, but suit yourself!" With that, she took off, headed for the front door. These were the things she loved. Gil could be both serious and fun. He knew when enough was enough. It was just like they had known each other their whole lives.  
"You're right... Because you'll always let me win." He smiled a gentle, loving smile that turned into a wild grin and was off like a rocket. He chased her out the door, through the front yard and into the back yard, fenced in and sheltered from prying eyes.  
"Try and catch me~!" She teased, sitting on a low branch of their cherry tree.  
"What do you think I'm doing!" He ran at the tree, planning to hoist himself onto the branch and catch her. No such luck. She jumped down and ran toward a large oak tree that had been standing for hundreds of years.  
He turned sharply, catching his foot on a protruding root and tripping. He caught her by the arm, hoping only to stop himslef from falling, but accidentally pulled her under him and fell onto her without realizing. When he opened his eyes, he saw her staring up at him, not sure how to react. Instinctively, he moved to help her up. "Ah, sorry..."  
"Gil," She smirked, "If you wanted to be on top, you could've just asked!" Then, as if reading his embarrassment, she sighed, "We've been dating for almost a year now. Calm down. I'm okay. You know I'm strong."  
"I just... Did I hurt you?" His voice cracked in worry.

"Calm down, mein Leiben." She wrapped her arms around his neck, "Ich leibe dich. Vergisst nicht."  
"Ja." He suddenly realized what they were doing. They were making all the mistakes that he'd wished he'd made a long time ago. Mistakes that he never had the chance to make due to his position of power in the German Empire, or Prussia. "Sorrelle, let's do it!"  
She furrowed her brow, thoroughly confused, "Do what?"  
"I..." He blushed and fumbled over his words, "I want to do..."  
"Speak!" She grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him down so that there was no space between them.  
"Sorrelle, I've never had... er, it's hard for me to ask..."

"Mein Gott!" She rolled over, forcing him to the ground, "Ask what you want." Her knee had fallen against his thigh and he now struggled to keep from pulling her down and kissing her forcefully.  
"I'd like to, uhm..." He began, "Disobey mein Bruder... For once in my life..."  
She realized what he was asking, and pressed her lips to his, smiling. When she pulled away, she nodded, "Okay. Let's do it, then." She pushed herself up off of him, "After breakfast. I still haven't eaten."  
"Right..." Gilbert pushed himself up to a sitting position, "I'll get some chocolate..."

While Sorrelle was eating breakfast, Ella was sitting at home on her couch, her feet tucked neatly to her side. A comfortable arm was wrapped around her shoulders, covered by the sleave of a bomber jacket.  
"Alfred," She snuggled into the young man's side, "What do you suppose they're doing?"  
"Hm?" Alfred looked at her in his gentle way, "Who?"  
"Elle and Gil. What do you think they're doing? I mean, when we went over there Sorrell wasn't dressed yet and she seemed in a hurry to get us outta there... Said she had rehersals..."  
"Maybe she did. Ever since she got that theater job, she's worked odd hours. Remember when she came over at four in the morning so she wouldn't wake Gil up?"  
Ella sighed, "What's happened to us, Alfred? I mean, we all used to be so close..."  
"We happened to you, Ella. The countries. Prussia happened to Sorrelle, Russia to Mattie, Greece to Ivy and so on." He gave her a gentle, reassuring squeeze, "And anyway, Sorrelle's graduated now. She's got the rest of her life in front of her. It's like she and Prussia just want to live their lives..."  
"But does everyone have to leave me alone? I mean, not even a thank you or anything?"  
Alfred smiled and leaned his forehead on hers, "Thank you, for finally giving in to my stupidity." He kissed her on the cheek, making her blush.  
"Alfred, don't... I mean, the others... My friends... Sorrelle, Mattie, and Ivy..." She avoided his gentle eyes, "I introduced them, after all..."  
"You've got to understand that, in a way, you were thanking them, too. I mean, Sorrelle would've normally been too shy to talk to Gilbert, if he were a normal student. And she's been loyal to you for so long... So, introducing them was like thanking her for that loyalty. And Ivy, too."  
Ella sighed, "I suppose you're right... I just-I miss them."  
"Sorrelle always makes an effort to see you at least every other day. Maybe she can't always pull through, but she tries. Mattie's constantly calling or texting. Ivy is usually just sitting at home waiting for you to call unless she's got something planned, which is rare." Alfred played with her hair, "It's so soft..."  
"Focus on the current subject, Alfred!"  
"What! I can't give you a compliment anymore!" He protested.  
"Not when it's irrelevant!"  
He kissed her, this time on the lips. As he did, he could feel her smiling. "Was _that_ irrelevant, then?"  
"I-idiot..." She looked down at his chest, trying to hide her smile.  
"I am. So? I'm smart enough to love you, right?"  
"Shut up." She rested her head on his shoulder.  
"You haven't answered me, so I guess I'll just have to keep talking... Unless you'd like to do something else..." He persisted.  
"Thank god it's a Sunday..."  
"_Now_ who's being evasive, huh?"  
She rolled her eyes, "Yes. You're smart enough to love me. Happy!"  
"Thank you! Now was that so hard!"  
"Maybe..." A grin spread across her face, "I have an idea..."  
"What is it? We're not going to go over to Mattie's, are we?"  
"No... We're going to go outside and play!" She hopped up, dragging him with her, and ran for the door, "We'll race, dance, ANYTHING! I just need something to do!"  
"Okay then!" He smiled and let himself be dragged out the door and into the front yard. Once there, he decided that if she wanted t do 'anything' then they'd play tag. "You're it!" He touched her shoulder and ran away, "Bet that you can't catch me~!"  
She ran after him, intending to win this silly game. As an idea came to her, she dropped to the ground and held her ankle. "Oww... It hurts, Alfred."  
He stopped and instantly rushed to her side, "Ella! Ella, are you okay! Do we need to go to the hospital?"  
Her hair covered her face, hiding the grin that was now spread across her face, "I... I think that I'll be fine if I can just..." She reached out to him, finding his tie and dragging him close to her, "Gotcha!" She flicked her hair out of her face and revealed her grin.  
"W-what! Cheater! You cheated at _tag!_" He couldn't help but grin back at her, his eyes sparkling in the sun.  
"Then kiss me and tag me back~!" Ella rested her forehead on his.  
"Alright..." A light tug on his tie pulled his mouth to her's. He felt his face begin to burn, but couldn't stop himself. He scooped her up, blindly walked into th house, and sat down in an armchair.  
"See? You should never let your guard down." She ran her hands over his chest as she pulled away, "I've tried to teach you this before, but you never listen~!"  
"Oh? And what about yourself?" He grinned slyly, "You do the same thing..."  
"Shut up."  
"I'll shut up..." He once again scooped her up and carried her, this time to the dining room.  
Ella looked around and was immediately drawn to the table. It was perfect. The food was, obviously, cooked by Italy, Romano, and Spain. Candlelight danced around the room. It seemed so perfect, almost too perfect. "What's all this?"  
"I'll shut up, when you marry me?" He sat her into a chair and pushed a small velvet box in front of her. Then, as if he was afraid of being rejected, he timidly backed off into the shadows.  
"W-what...?" Ella's voice shook and she timidly grabbed the box and pulled it open, "I mean... I-I don't know what to say..."  
"Say yes!"  
"Alfred. I love you. I've loved you since we met. Of course I'll marry you." She brushed the joyful tears off her eyelashes, "I'm so happy..."  
"Ella, remember..." He took a deep breath, "Remember the first time you got drunk...? And you just wanted me to sit with you and talk?"  
"Yeah...?"  
"I longed so much... I wanted to be there for you... But... We're breaking so many 'laws'... I mean, it's dangerous because you're a human and I'm a country, but also... It's not legal for the map keeper to have a romantic relationship with any country-particularly their own."  
"Oh..." She stared down at the ring in the box, "Then... I shouldn't have said yes?"  
"No! I love you! I love you so much!" He wrapped her in a hug, "I just... I'm afraid, Ella. I'm afraid of falling in love, because I know that you'll age and die... And I'll continue living..."  
"Oh... Alfred, I'm sorry..."  
"I know that's why Ludwig is so worried about everyone. Gilbert and Sorrelle, you and I, Ivy and Greece... He's worried that we'll all end up hurt in the end..." He felt tears coming to his eyes, "I don't want us to be left alone... Everyone who's ever had a lover has always ended up hurt... Maybe it's selfish, but I don't want to get hurt! Damnit! Ella! I don't want to hurt!" He held her tightly, crying into her shoulder.  
"Shh... It's okay. We'll be here, even after we die, our spirits will be with you. And you'll keep us alive in your memories..." It dawned on her how painful all this time must have been for Gilbert and Sorrelle. These past ten months, knowing that she'd eventually die and leave him alone... Why did they even bother with emotions if they'd just get hurt? Ella felt a pang of sadness. Maybe it was selfish of her, but she wanted all countries to just cease to exist, leaving the mortal personifications in their places.

Sorrelle stared down at her coffee mug, "Y'know... I never really liked coffee..."  
"Oh?" Gilbert blinked at her in surprise, "Then why'd you always drink it when I made it?"  
"I didn't want to hurt you..." She shrugged weakly, "I've never intended to hurt anyone... And now that we've planned _that_, I'm afraid that we'll hurt people now..."  
Gilbert looked away, "I've had the same worries... Only... Go ahead and think me selfish, but I'm araid o hurting myself."  
"What do you mean?" Sorrelle turned the coffee cup in her hands, avoiding Gilbert's gaze.  
"I'll continue to live on, even after you're dead, Sorrelle... I just can't be left behind..." He picked at a scratch on the table, "I fell in love once with this beautiful girl... She was constantly reading books about me, writing stories and drawing beautiful pictures... We knew that her best friend was going to be the map keeper, but I just wished _she_ were going to be the mapkeeper someday."  
"Tell me about her?" She knew he was talking about her, but wanted to know when exactly he found out about her, and everything he saw of her.  
"I used to sleep under a tree in a park near her house when she was little. She was always going there with her dad..." He smiled, memories replaying in his head, "She thought I was homeless, so she'd bring me sandwiches. A few times she brought the future map keeper along with her. We'd sit, and I'd talk about my country... It was odd... She was so shy with others, but openned up so freely with me. I fell in love, but it was completely inappropriate. First of all, she was just a little kid, and second, she was't allowed to know about me."  
"You could've just... Stopped going?" Sorrelle's voice caught in her throat, remebering the odd man in the park who taught her so much about history.  
"Alfred wanted me to check up on her friend. He'd falled in love with the little girl that would become the map keeper. I just couldn't let him down."  
"Oh..."  
"I knew that there was a possibility that this girl and I would meet again when she was older, and there would be a possibility of us falling in love, but... She wouldn't remember me. Not like I remembered her. I'd just be a homeless guy who gave her mini history lessons or told wild stories, nothing more... Sometimes we'd act them out. Her father was always watching, of course, but it didn't matter. He and I talked a few times. He said that I was like an uncle to her... And then, one day, she just... Stopped coming... I knew it was her birthday, and I'd gotten her a hair ribbon. That was when she was really girly. She had such long, beautiful hair..." He sighed and pulled out a blue ribbon, "I saved it for her... I just, didn't have the courage to give it to her until now."  
"My birthday..." Sorrelle knew the day he was talking about. The day her father died. The day all celebration in her family stopped. The day she was forced to grow up.  
"I saw her twice more after that. She'd grown up quite a bit... Both times, she just went and sat by the tree to cry... I couldn't bring myself to go near her... I heard her talking to her dad-even though he wasn't there, she'd talk to him... I knew then that the day she stopped coming, he'd died. I just didn't know what to do for her, Sorrelle... I was so useless..."  
"No, don't say that, Gil-"  
"It's true! And now all I want to do is keep her alive forever!" He stood up, tears springing to his eyes. "Damnit! I'm going for a run. Maybe it'll clear my head." Neither of them had noticed the rain that had started.  
"Shit! I've got to go put the top up on the car." Sorrelle followed after him, hurrying to her car. Her heart was pounding, her hands shaking. She hoped the thunder wouldn't start, but knew it would. She was alone again. Gilbert had gone on a run. What was she going to do? The top clicked into place as the first clap of thunder resounded in the skies. Jumping back, she tensed. It was unbelievable. She hadn't been alone in thunder for so long... Ever since she met Gilbert, she'd been with someone in a thunderstorm. "Gil!" She covered her ears and hurried back to the house, knowing full well that if she wanted him to come back, she'd have to go get him. Hastily, Sorrelle grabbed the blue trench coat out of the closet and pulled it on, fastenning a few of the buttons in the process. He'd worn this, she knew, during many wars. It had the smell of gunpowder and blood on it. Why did he love this coat so much?

He pounded through the streets, hunched over. Others who were unfortunate enough to get in his way were rudely pushed aside. This man, in all his strength, couldn't help but worry for her. Was she inside? Was she warm? Did she cover her ears? Why had he been so stupid? Then it hit him. The ancients. If he really wanted her to marry him, then he'd need permission (and a marriage license) from them. The license would make everything alright, then, because it'd make Sorrelle like him, immortal. But then again, her friends wouldn't all be immortal. She'd watch them all die, unless America had decided to ask Ella to marry him...

Tears streamed down her face as she tore through the streets, only guessing where he'd gone. She was calling his name, hoping he'd suddenly be there. No such luck.  
"Excuse me, miss...?" She turned on the man who held an umbrella out to her, "Are you looking for someone?"  
"Eh/" She blinked at him, still misty-eyed. "O-oh... Yeah... I was..." She looked down, embarassed at her weakness.  
"Was he a tall man...? With really pale skin and red eyes-like an albino?"  
"Yes. You've seen him?" Her heart pounded in her ears as time seemed to slow down.  
"I have. He went between those buildings..." The man pointed out an old building, most likely built before WWII, and a fresh, shining new one.  
"Thank you! Really, this means alot!" She wiped her eyes clear of tears, "Thank you!"  
"Heh... Okay, okay. Just go get your boyfriend back. He seemed really torn up over something. Maybe you can cheer the guy up (we should be so lucky)..." The man waved her away, "_Go!"  
_She nodded and rushed toward the buildings.

The more he thought of it, the more he knew he had to ask her. It didn't matter if the others weren't immortal. They'd be together. She'd never have to be alone like this again. But, then again, he was afraid of falling in love. Sure, he'd had girlfriends, but never had he really fell in love. It was more a one-sided thing, where the girls did all the work. He could barely even look at them because he'd heard that Sorrelle had gotten sick, or another tragedy had struck, or he was just worried about her. It didn't matter that the women had actually fallen in love with him. They'd find someone new a week later, anyway. "Verdammt," He mused, "I'm so stupid."  
"You are. You're stupid and selfish and childish and an idiot and loud and mean and an ass and hateful and a hypocrite. And I ha-" Before Sorrelle could finish, strong arms were wrapped around her, holding her and keeping her safe once again.  
"Ich leibe dich. Ich leibe dich. Ich leibe dich..." He was repeating the German phrase over and over, as if trying to convince someone of something.  
"Liar." She pushed him away, "You don't love. You're a country."  
"... Ich leibe dich. Ich leibe dich. Ich leibe dich..."  
"Prussia was a country. It was dissolved by the Allies under the Treaty of Versailles in 1947, officially. But long before that, Prussia had dissolved into Germany. It was once a great, powerful empire. Wars destroyed it." Each word was like a stab to the torso, said with such venom it could have killed an average person.  
"GOTT VERDAMMT!" He grabbed her wrists and pulled her up to him, rather roughly, "Ich leibe dich. Vergisst nicht." He kissed her, harder than either had expected.  
"Ich kann nicht vergessen."  
"Gut." He smiled softly, "Then you won't be opposed to go over to Ella's now?"  
"W-Wie bitte...? Now?"  
"Sorrelle, you're not afraid anymore. So, I figure a nice walk in the rain won't hurt. After all, Ella's place is closer..."  
She was quiet for a moment as a clap of thunder finished its low, booming cry. "You're right... I'm not afraid of it anymore..." She smiled nervously for a moment, then giggled, "Heh! I'm not afraid! I'm not afraid! Gil! Look!" She spun around childishly, "I'm dancing! In a thunderstorm!"  
"Now all you need is music."  
"I'll sing! OH! But what should I sing!"  
"Heaven was Needing a Hero would fit nicey for this moment..." He suggested, a pleaseant smile warming his face.  
"Right!" She grabbed him by the hand, "Only if you'll dance with me. And only if you're that hero."  
"O-okay..."  
They began to sway softly, her head resting on his chest.  
_"I came by today to see you,  
I just had to let you know,  
If I knew then last time that I held you was the last time  
I'd have held you, and never let go..."_ She stopped sinning, nervousness getting the best of her.  
"You know this song, Sorrelle. I've heard you sing it. What's different from those times?"  
"This time..." She took a deep breath, "It's true."  
"I'll harmonize, then. After all-"  
"Nein." She slapped her hand over his mouth, "No offense, but I've heard you sing. If ever someone could die from hearing another person's singing voice... Your voice would be the killer."  
"How mean..."  
"You can play violin... And Austria is teaching you how to play piano..." She shrugged, "You're awesome at violin," She took the liberty of using 'his word', "And great at piano, though you're not as good as Austria."  
"Ha... Danke... So... Off to Ella's then?"  
"Hm... And here I thought you wanted to dance..."  
"I lied. I just wanted to hear your voice. It's so pretty."  
"So I should keep talking?" She laughed, "I'm good at that, although no one listens..."  
"I do. So I'm 'no one' now?" He sniffled fakely, "Don't you love me anymore!" He pulled her up to eye level, "Am I not good enough?"  
"You're not good enough." Her tone of voice was blunt.  
"W-what...?" He went limp, "What do you mean...? Just a minute ago we were-"  
"You're perfect." She kissed him, making him instantly stop spluttering about.  
When she pulled away, he was focused on her eyes, a gentle smile on his face, "Y'know... I wouldn't mind it if we just didn't go to Ella's... I mean, she doesn't know we're going over and-"  
"And nothing. I haven't been a very good friend lately. I've been kind of ignoring her."  
"Sorry. My fault." Gilbert blushed, "I'm distracting."  
"You're distracting all right..." Sorrelle mumbled something under her breath, then pulled off the sodden trench coat, "Here. You can have this back now."  
"Wait." He took it and dug through the pockets, "Here." He put a necklace into her hands, "Keep it."  
"What...?" She opened her fingers to find an iron cross on a chain. It wasn't polished, but tarnished and had what looked to be blood on it, "Oh... Thanks..."  
"I want you to have it, Sorrelle. I wore it through everything. Both World Wars, the Seven Year's War... When Hitler... You know, he was my boss... But, he liked my younger brother better. I was sent to a work camp..."  
"W-what...?" She felt her heart drop to her stomach, "No..."  
"He did, Sorrelle. That's the only thing that kept me going. The necklace. And now... I don't need it. I've got you. I think that you need it now. More than me."  
_Great,_ Sorrelle thought, rather annoyed, _Now he thinks I need a bloody necklace to give me hope! Doesn't he realize that _I_ have _him_!_ She said, "Oh... It must mean alot... I'd really like to hear about your time in..." She couldn't bring herself to say 'the concentration camp'. It just seemed too... tragic. It was like that was a time in his past that was tightly locked away from her, and only people who'd known him forever-like Germania and Rome, two of the ancients that she'd met-could unlock it.  
"We'll talk later tonight." Suddenly he was a cold stone wall. "So, Ella's then?"  
"Right..." She walked off, her head down and the man following her, his face white as a sheet.

"Just a minute!" Ella called to the people knocking on her door. She hurried to blow out the candles, gave a quick kiss to Alfred, then stuffed the ring box into her pocket. As she reached the door, Sorrelle openned it.  
"Hey! What's all the waiting-" Sorrelle smiled as she caught sight of the ring. "Oh... We should go... C'mon, Gil."  
"Sorrelle! Why are you here? I thought you had rehersals?" Alfred called over his shoulder.  
"Eh... Didn't feel like going. I wanted to hang out with my sis. 'S been forever since we just chilled."  
"Gil's with you. So, what's up?" Ella blinked expectantly, "Or... Were you going to ask me that?"  
"Yeah, actually, I was... And then I saw the rock. Really, it's beautiful." Sorrelle examined Ella's finger, "Where'd America get the money for it? I mean, our country's still in debt..."  
"Eh. It's alot less than what it was. Ever since the war's stopped thanks to Ella, we've really bounced back!" Alfred grinned, "She saved us, really. We get along with ALL the middle eastern countries now!"  
"So, you're trying to discourage us and then you go get yourself engaged," Gilbert teased, "Talked to the Ancients yet?"  
"Oh! That's right! Sorrelle! I'm sorry! I forgot to tell you!" Ella smacked her forehead, "If you two want to do anything, you can get married (with permission and a license from the ancients) and you'll be like the countries..."  
"I talked to them, Ella! Don't worry! We've got our license!" Alfred waved a piece of paper in the air, "I just can't believe we're actually doing this!"  
"Heh..." Sorrelle turned to Gilbert, teeth and fists clenched, "You didn't tell me this, Gil. Interesting how we could've just talked to the ancients and everything'd be fine."  
"Mein Schmetterling, you know I only had your best interests-"  
"Best interests my ass!" Sorrelle removed her shoe and threw it at his face, "If we could get married and I'd be able to do whatever I want with you, why didn't you tell me!"  
"Are you asking me to-"  
"Gott verdammt! Warum nicht!" She grabbed his collar to look him in the eye, "Let's."  
Ella blinked, thoroughly confused at what she was seeing. Alfred whispered in her ear, "Isn't Gil supposed to ask...? I mean, the guy is supposed to..."  
"REALLY! She just asked him to marry her!" Ella was shocked, "Odd way of going about things. I thought the same thing you did, but Sorrelle's never exactly been conventional..."  
"Sorrelle! Let's not be hasty! I mean, we still have to get a church, a minister-"  
"What?" Sorrelle's voice held death in it, "Church? Minister? What are you talking about?"  
"Well, naturally we're going to have the traditional Catho-"  
"No." Sorrelle stopped him, putting up a brick wall in a matter of seconds.  
"He's in trouble now, Alfred~! He didn't know that she's not Catholic... After her sister died, she just stopped believing in anything..." Ella giggled, whispering in her Fiance's ear.  
"Uh-oh... They're going to run into a little problem there, then... Gilbert's Catholic."  
"We should separate them for a while. Have them talk to a neutral party..." Ella mused.  
"I'll go get Switzerland." America turned to go to Ella's room.  
"No. Like, Sorrelle needs someone who's a Catholic but doesn't know her very well. Gil needs the same thing, but not Catholic... He needs a neutral atheist..."  
Alfred sighed, "I don't know, then..."  
"We're going to go to the courthouse, sign a paper, and that's it! We'll be married!"  
"Catholic." He crossed his arms over his chest, "It'll be Catholic."  
"We don't look like that when we fight, do we?" Alfred hid behind Ella's shoulder, fearful of getting hit by a flying shoe.  
"I don't know... I think we just kind of... ignore each other... Sorrelle wages a full on war." Ella shrugged.  
"And, even though she's fighting against one of the greatest empires in history... She always mananges to win." Alfred stared at the two, wide-eyed with shock.

"We. Are. NOT! Having. A. Catholic. Cerimony!" Sorrell jabbed her finger into Gilbert's chest with each word.

"Hey guys... What're they...?" Mattie walked in from the kitchen. Obviously she and Ivan had come in the back door.  
"Fighting," Ella sighed, "Sorrelle isn't Catholic."  
Mattie laughed, "He's never going to get her into a church..."  
"He can try, but from what Madeline has told me, it will not happen." Ivan put in, "She is stubborn, da?"  
"Well, yeah, but she's got-Madeline?" Ella realized she had no idea who he was talking about.  
"I'm very sorry. I call her Madeline. She's told me to call her Mattie, but coming from me it just sounds... odd. Like it is out of place, no?"

"Oh... Yeah. I guess it does. Anyway, Sorrelle's got her own reasons not to go into a church." Ella looked down at the floor, remembering her own reasons for avoiding churches. She couldn't belive in someone who would so easily turn their back on her. He'd taken her moher away from her in 9/11. Taken Sorrelle's sister away with a grenade. He'd chipped away little pieces of their hearts until they were nothing but shattered ruins. It was known that Sorrelle hated God, or whatever god/gods there were, if any. It was also known that, if she could, she'd kill him to get all he/she had taken from her back.  
"She lost someone?" Ivan's head tilted to the side.  
"Ivan, we shouldn't really get into tha-"  
"Lots of people. Almost her whole family, really. That's why she considers us her family. She has no one else..."  
Ivan seemed to contemplate this for a moment, then ran and picked Sorrelle up into a hug. "It's so heartbreaking that a friend of Madeline's has gone thrugh such an awful ordeal!"  
Sorrelle, being annoyed at this sudden invasion of her personal space, punched him in the face. "What the hell!"  
"Ivan! She's puched you before! C'mon! Now we've gotta get your nose to stop bleeding!" Mattie grabbed his arm as he set Sorrelle down and pulled him into the house to look for the first aid kit and then go back to Ivan's house.

"We should stop them, y'know?" Alfred looked genuinely concerned for Gilbert's safety.  
"Nah. They'll be fine. C'mon. I'm hungry." Ella took Alfred's hand and led him away from the scene, "Sorrelle will win eventually, or they'll just compromise." She quietly shut and locked the door. Finally, she and Alfred could be alone. She pulled him by the tie toward her room, hoping that he'd do anything but talk about his worries. After all, Sorrelle was a strong, intelliget girl, right? She wouldn't make any stupid mistakes.

"Catholic, Sorrelle. It's gotta be-"  
"I said no! That's the end of it." She stepped close to him, pinning Gilbert against the wall. "You're like a child. How the hell does that happen! You're a grown man, and you're acting like a little kid!"  
"I can be mature..." He mumbled.  
"OH! Then do it now!"  
"Okay, okay... So I can do... mature things... I'm just too into arguing with you to stop. You're so cute when you're mad."  
She felt her cheeks burn, wanted to run away and hide, but only stepped a little closer. "You're not getting a church wedding, Gil." With that, she stormed off in the general direction of her home, Gilbert treading at her heals like an obedient dog.

"Ella...? You said you were hungry. What for, exactly? What could be in your room to eat?"  
"Oh, that was just to get you inside. They'll be fine. Unless you wanna call Lud and tell him that he should check up on them? Although he's probably wanting some alone time, too, so we could call Austria-"  
Alfred, realizing what she wanted, grabbed her shoulders and kissed her so she couldn't pull away. He felt her trying to breath after about thirty seconds, and had to pull away. She wasn't the only one lacking oxygen. "They'll be fine?" His breath was a little short, as if he'd run a short distance.  
"Y-yeah... Alfred, why haven't you ever kissed me like-"  
He kissed her again, this time on the neck, his hands dangerously close to her breasts. She released a small yelp of pain-or was it pleasure?-from her lips and kicked the bedroom door open carefully. "Mmmmn~" He pulled her closer to himself as she pushed his coat off his shoulders and released the top button of his shirt with shaky hands. This was it.  
"Alfr-AH!" She felt herself tense, but one touch from him made her relax. A shudder ran through her body, and she moved in on him, leaving nothing between the two. After a few ragged breaths, she found his belt and blindly removed it. His pants now slid down so that five inches of his red-white-and-blue boxers showed.  
"Ah... Sorry. I'm hurting you, aren't I?" He let her go, embarrassed of himself, "I always do this... Go over the top..."  
"N-no... It-it felt good, Alfred..." She looked down at the silk sheets she sat on, "K-keep going?"  
He nodded shortly and continued, holding her down by the shoulders as they got entangled in each other and the sheets.  
About twenty minutes later, they were giggling. "Why is it so big?"  
"Don't tug on it so-AH!" Alfred arched his back and held his breath. He did not want to reach his limit yet. He was _not_ going to let himself cum too early.  
"Slippery... I wonder if this tastes anything like those shots I had the first time I got drunk...?" She reached a sticky hand up to her mouth and began licking.  
"Y-you can go right to the source..." In his mind, Alfred was shocked that Ella was so innocent.  
"Mmmn~! It's so salty! It tastes like a bloody mary!" She slipped down under the covers as he wrapped his legs around her back.  
"E-Ella... Have you ever done this bef-AH! Ha..." His hertpounded in his chest and perspiration beaded on his body.  
Ella's head popped out from under the sheet, "Nope..."  
"Damnit... Kiss me. You've got a little bit of... Uhm... Cum..." He'd came too early, but she hadn't noticed until he'd said so.  
"Oh... Oops. That's bad?"  
"Just kiss me." He pulled her onto his lap, slipping himself inside her. He bit her neck lightly, making her yelp and push herself closer to him. They were in the thick of it, pushing and pulling each other, creating a happy tension. They forgot about every obligation, every pain they'd ever had for a short time. "E-Ella... I can't... I've got to..." He reached his limit, arched his back and came. He didn't want to, but it felt much better after he had.  
"I-it hurts, Afred..."  
"I'm sorry!" He put his hands up, waiting for the blow to come. "I'll pull out now! I'm such an diot! We've got to get this treated right away!" He noticed he'd torn her from the small trickle of blood, and was panicing.  
"I'm fine... It felt..." She was lost for words, her cheeks burning.  
"I'm so sorry I let this happen..."  
"Don't be..." She looked down at his chest, tracing every detail, "I liked it."

"I'm tired." Sorrelle dragged her feet. She now knew why she never walked to Ella's house. It was at least a mile and a half away. It was easier for her to run or drive.  
"Here." Gilbert knelt down in front of her, facing away, "I'll carry you."  
"W-what...? No. I'm fine..."  
"You're tired. I know what you're like whe you're tired. It's either get you drunk or have you rest. There's no beer nearby, so I'll carry you and you can rest."  
Sorrelle sighed, "Fine. But if you drop me..."  
"I know, I know. You'll make me sleep on the couch."  
"Good boy." She wrapped her legs around his hips, her arms around his neck, and held on as he stood up. It was odd being this high off the ground. He was a good seven inches taller than her, and now she was being held up to his height.  
"You okay back there?" He turned only to see her smiling and resting her head in the crook of his neck.  
When she saw his own smile, she kissed his cheek. "I'm better than okay."  
"Ah..." He turned and began walking toward their home.  
A few blocks into the walk, she had began to slide off and decided to hold on by biting his coat and pulling herself up. This, however, was making him rather uncomfortable so he had the bright idea to make a seat out of his hands. As they walked, he couldn't help but test his boundries, so he squeeezed. At first, she didn't notice. Sorrelle was used to innocent accidents from Gil, but as he began doing it more and more often, she realized it wasn't an accident.  
"S-soft... Like mashed potatoes or dough... And so perfectly round..." He let his thoughts slip.  
"What!" Sorrelle pushed his hands out from under her, only to fall to the ground. "Why were you squeezing!"  
"I-it feels nice... I didn't think you'd mind..." He looked away from her,  
"S-so just because you like the way it feels that gives you the right to squeeze my ass any time you like!"  
"That and... And the fact that you liked it, too." He crossed his arms over his chest, turning a deep hue of red.  
"How would you like it if I just went around squeezing your ass in public!" She glared up at him.  
"OH?" He raised his eyebrows, an idea coming to him, "You'd do that?" He shoved his ass into her face, "Go ahead, then! I'm sure you'll like it, even if it's not nearly as good as your own!"  
She stretched a shaky finger out and poked his poket. "What's wrong with you... Making me do such things in public?"  
"C'mon." He grabbed her wrist and hauled her up, "I know a place where we can go."  
"I-it's not the abandonned old castle, is it? No one goes there..."  
"It is. It's closer than home. I don't think we'll make it home, anyway... Not like this!"  
"What do you mean, 'not like this'!" She was thoroughly confused.  
"W-well... You know... Wanting things that can't be had in public..." He kicked his boot off the ground nervously, hoping she'd say yes.  
"Only if you carry me-WITHOUT touching my ass."  
"Fine. There's some nicely aged wine in the catacombs, and some of the matresses are still good..."  
"What's wrong with the cold stone floor?" Sorrelle teased, hopping onto his back again.  
"What's wrong with the wall~?" He retured her teasing, "We can do all three, if you want..."  
She set her chin on his shoulder, "Only if you can keep going for that long."  
"We'll see." He leaned his head on her own, "Maybe after I get some perfect, aged wine into me..."  
"Maybe then we'll have more fun~!" She bit his ear as the castle came into view.  
He blushed, "R-right... Sorrelle, you really shouldn't do things like that... At least, not yet... I mean... I'm starting to..."

"Already? But we've still got to at least get over the barbed wire fence..."  
"I think I can make it until then. No one comes around here, so we should be fine then..."  
"How do you know this, Gilbert?" She was genuinely curious.  
"When you're gone, I come here to think. Not really about anything in particular, just about life... About us..."  
"O-oh..."  
He stopped at the fence, "I'll give you a boost, then climb over it myself."  
"I'll be fine climbing on my own." She grabbed hold of the fence and pulled herself up a foot or two, "You coming?"  
"Ah... Yeah..." He shook himself from a temporary trance, "I... I'm coming... Coming..." He grabbed the fence and pulled himself up twice as much as Sorrelle, got his feet into position, and with one last pull swung over the fence. "So, you would've been better off with a boost."  
"I'm not that short." She pulled herself up twice more before swinging herself over.  
"Want me to catch you when you jump?"  
"Ah... Yeah..." Sorrelle carefully slid to the edge of the fence, "You ready for me to jump?"  
Gilbert nodded, "Just don't jump with too much momentum, or you'll hurt us both."  
"Right." With that, she jumped down into his arms.  
"You alright?"  
"Yeah."  
"Sure?"  
She nodded breathlessly, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine... I just cut my hand on the fence."  
He set her down and grabbed her hand, palm up, "It looks bd. Here, I'll lick it for you." He began dragging his tongue lightly across the crimson red gash.  
"W-wha-!"  
"I heard... Mmmn... That licking a cut can help..." He licked her hand a little more forcefully, "Mmmn... Can help stop the bleeding..."  
She sighed, "It's a myth. Humin saliva actually thins the blood, making it bleed more... But, if you believe it, then who am I to argue?"  
"D'you have any other cuts that need licked?" He looked up from her hand, a small amount of blood still on his lips.  
"Ah... No... Not unless you count this tiny scratch on my ne-" Before she could finish the word 'neck' he was licking her.  
"Mmmn... This one's mostly healed... Maybe if I make it bleed, then lick it, it won't makea scar..." He bit at it lightly, "Mmmn..." A small amount of blood came, "If this'll work, then you'll never need bandages again, Sorrelle..."  
"You should probably sto-" She gasped as he accidentally touched her stomach. The one place that she never let anyone touch.  
"Ah! S-sorry! Is there a cut on it, too!"  
"No, no... They healed a long time ago." She sighed and relaxed as he moved his hands away, "It's just... I'm... Sensative... There..."  
"Oh? Are you telling me that your 'spot' is your stomach~?" He wrapped his arms around her, deliberately giving her stomach a squeeze as he moved his hand over i.  
"Ah!" She arched her back and jumped away from him, "D-don't touch it... Not yet..."  
He pouted, "Sorrelle, I like your reaction. Think you could do it again, without me touching you?"  
"Stupid." She removed his hands from her and hurried up the short walk to the old stone building.  
Gilbert kicked a rock, mumbling under his breath, "Am not."

As they slipped through the old ak doors of the castle, Gilbert pinned Sorrelle to the wall, "You ready?" His arm was, he hadn't noticed, right across his chest.  
"It hurts... You're crushing them..."  
"Huh...?" He looked down, "Ah! Y-your weak spots! I didn't hurt them too much, did I!"  
"Gil, you're really an idiot. I'll be fine."  
"Then... Am I an idiot for loving you?"  
"One of the only smart things you did." She smiled.  
"I'm going to do another smart thing in a minute... Here, put this in your mouth," He pulled a small cube of sugar out of his pocket, "You'll need it."  
"Alright...?" Carefully, she popped the cube into her mouth, "Mph... Sweet."  
"Don't talk, or it won't work. Also, don't swallow."  
She nodded, curious as to what he was going to do.  
"Now, I'm going to ask you to face the wall and just leave your mouth open."  
Sorrelle did as she was told, and moments later felt three of the fingers on his left hand slip into her mouth, the other hand sliding across her stomach and down to the button of her jeans. "W-whar oo ooing...?" Sorrelle tried to talk, Gil's fingers still in her mouth.  
"Shh~! Don't talk. You can resist, but only slightly. France and Greece told me that this is how you're supposed to do these things..." He slipped the button out of its noose, worked his way past her stomach, being sure to squeeze it as he passed over it, and to her throat, holding it with his hand and biting where he had previously licked, "They said... Mmmn... That if you wanted to make things sweet, use sugar..." He pulled his fingers, now dripping with sugar water, out of her mouth and slipped them down her stomach, making her resist.  
"Nnnngh..." She shuddered, "Can I talk now?"  
"Ja..."  
"What's the sugar on my stomach for...?"  
"You'll see..." His eyes sparkled and evil red in the setting sun.  
"O-okay..." She tensed, nervous about the unknown.

Pulling her tee so it was inside out and off of her, Gilbert whispered to her, "You'll have to face me for this, mein Leiben... It'll be a little uncomfortable and tangled at first, but after that it'll be awesome..."  
She gritted her teeth, "You... Really need to stop using that word..."  
Gilbert let out a laugh, then slid down to her stomach, "Sugar is sweet..." He licked her stomach where he'd put the sugar water, "Mmm..." He slipped his hands around her waist, "Ich leibe dich."  
"What are you doing!" She sucked in her gut, "Nnngh... Stop..."  
"Then you start." He tightened his grip on her, "Or have you never even thought of how you could do these types of things?"

"Fine!" She knelt down, and looked him in the eyes the whole time she unbuttonned his shirt. "Y-you've got scars...?"  
"Wars. German Revolution, World Wars, Seven Years War... Austrian Succession..."  
"Oh..." She touched his heart and felt it, racing against his chest as if in defiance.  
"If you can do it, then do it. I believe Japan would call you a 'uke'..."  
"I'm not a uke!" She grabbed his belt and, in a fit of embarrassed anger, pulled it off of him and in doing so unbuttoned his jeans.  
"Oh? So, that's all I had to say to get you to do some of the leg work? Call you a uke~?" He smirked, "Well, my little uke, let's see what you can do~!"  
"I..." Her head was down, her teeth bared, "Am not a uke!" She, once again in an embarrassed rage, slipped her hand into his boxers. Warmth. "Nnngh... I-it's sticky..."  
"Sorry..."  
"It's like this morning, only worse..." She mused, "Tougher..."  
"Sorrelle, you're being so-"  
She kissed him, pulling his pants and boxers off in one quick motion. It was a leap of faith. Blood rushed to her face.  
A moan escaped him as he slipped himself into her jeans, "Elle... We're crumbling... Just like this castle..."  
"It-AH! Gil!" She arched her back, only to recieve more pain and pleasure.  
"E-Elle, I don't think I can wait..." He kissed her neck, trying hard not to go to early.  
"I-it hurts... But... I-in a good way..."  
"I have to, Sorrelle... I can't stop it..." He pushed himself upwards, into the innocent woman who sat before him. He couldn't help the waves guilt. He'd been stupid enough to do this without consulting Ella first. Now there'd be another war, this time between the last remaining few Prussian royals and America. Ludwig would side with Gil, simply because he had to protect his older brother, and they'd be destroyed over this one awful thing. "I... I'm sorry mein Leiben..."

The next morning, Ella woke up clenching a pillow tightly to her chest, a protective arm around her. She felt the cotton shirt on her shoulders. "Hmmm..." She pushed the arm off of her and sat up. "Alfred...?"  
Drowsily, the young man sat up, "Ella, you're up. Do you hurt any more?"  
"Huh...?" It took a moment for her to realize what he was asking, "Oh. No... I'm fine..."  
Alfred kicked his legs off of the bed and stood up, covered only by his boxers. "I'll go make coffee. Want some?"  
"Uh-huh..." Ella pulled on some shorts, leaving Alfred's shirt on instead of changing it.  
"Kay." Alfred walked down the stairs, only to be met in the living room by Arthur, Ludwig, Greece, Ivan, Mattie and Ivy. Sorrelle and Gilbert were nowehre to be seen. "AH!" Alfred exclaimed, "What're you doing here!"  
"The meeting, you git. And for God's sake, put some bloody pants on!" Arthur sipped his tea.  
"Ah... Sorry... I'll be right back..." He backed up the stairs and into the room he now shared with his fiance, Ella. "Hey, did you know abot a meeting-"  
"Pick up the phone, Sorrelle. Pick up _now_." Ella chewed on her lip, but smiled at Alfred reassuringly when he came in the room, "Yeah. You forgot? Alright, get some pants on and go. I've got to-" She changeed words in mid-sentance, "Hey, Sorrelle, ah... There's a meeting today. Like, right now. Tell Gil to hurry his ass up. Lud's here, but I want Gil's input on this one, too... Anyway, your phone's probably dead, so... Just hurry, okay?" With that, she hung up to find a fully-clothed Alfred standing before her.

"Voicemail, huh?" He looked at her, a worried smile on his face, "I wonder if they're okay...?"  
"I'm sure they are... Sorrelle's strong, and Gil was with her. He wouldn't let anything happen to her, right?"  
"Only way to find out is to go lookin' for her." Alfred grabbed his coat, "So, we'll get the others to help, too."  
"But... I don't want to impose on everyone. And what if they did..."  
He took her face in his hands, "We'll find them. I'm sure they're out there, safe."  
"Alright."

The two marched downstairs. "Alright, change of plans! Gilbert and Sorrelle are missing! It is now your top priority to back me up on this! I'll save them, and you'll be the support!"  
"Alfred, that's not exactly what I-" Ella began to protest.  
"As long as we let me be the thero, everything'll be fine!"

"You idiot! Can't you see that Ella's worried as hell! And as for me, Gilbert is my older brother, so if anyone's going to be support on this, it'll be YOU!"  
Alfred looked shocked, "But... I'm always the... Hero."  
"Not this time. Sorrelle is my brother's girlfriend, making her like a sister to me. So, Ella and I will work together on this one." Ludwig glared at Alfred, "We will separate into groups of two. Ella and Alfred, Ivy and Greece, Mattie and Ivy, Arthur and I. Four groups. Spread out, look all over. Go!" With that, people hurried out of the house with their partners.

Sorrelle cuddled into the young man's chest. It was cold in this old building, but under the coat it was warm and safe.  
"You awake yet...?" Gilbert moved carefully, so he wouldn't wake her if she was still asleep.  
"Huh...? Oh... Ah, yeah..." She rubbed her eyes, "We should get going..."  
"Want me to carry you again?"  
"Nah. I'm fine... So, what're we going to-SHIT!" She jumped up, "We forgot about the meeting!"  
"Gott verdammt! You're right!" He grabbd his pants from te floor and threw them on, "What time is it, or do you have your phone on you?"  
"It's dead. The battery died last night. Shit... We're probably worrying them all."  
"Ella won't mind. Anyway, I'm not a country anymore... My brother's the one we really ought to worry about. He's probably organizing a search for us right now." Gil pulled his shirt on, "He's always overreacting..."  
"What're we going to do about them...?"  
"Well," He kissed her on the cheek, "We are going to go home, get cleaned up, and then go over to Ella's."  
"Ah... I meant what about your brother and Ella? I know that Ella will be mad that we're late, but I've never seen Lud worried before..."  
Gil sighed, "I honestly don't know. West usually hides his emotions under a veneer of seriousness."  
"Kind of like someone else I know." Sorrelle joked lightly.  
"Yeah, yeah. C'mon. We had better get going." He put his coat around her shoulders and scooped up the iron cross necklace, intending to put it around her neck.  
"We forgot to talk, Gil..." Sorrelle spotted the necklace in his hand, "About what happened to you during World War Two..."  
"I was sent to a camp-Sachsenhausen. Then I was liberated along with less than half of the twohundred-thousand other prisoners in 1945. What else is there to tell?" He looked away, clearly putting up the veneer of seriousness, and she pushed the issue no further.  
"Ah... We'd better be off then." They left the old building in silence, not bothering to talk the whole way home.

"Alfred, where else can we look? We've looked everywhere but her house, and I highly doubt she's there. It wouldn't be so bad, if she were alone, but... Now she's with Gil..."  
"Come on. Let's go to her house. Maybe her phone's just dead..." Alfred slipped his hand into her own, smiled reassuringly at her, "She's fine. Gil's with her. He wouldn't let anything bad happen to her, I know it."  
Ella stood up from the bench, "Alright... I just hope that he didn't hurt her..."  
"He wouldn't, Ella. Something about him, maybe his time in Sachsenhausen-"  
"A-as in, the labor camp?"  
"Yeah... He saved alot of the people by giving them his rations... When they were liberated, everyone wanted to know more about him, but he just... disappeared. They wanted to reunite with him, but it was assumed that he had died... He's had to hide alot so he wouldn't be found out."  
"Alfred, why was he there in the first place?"  
"The fuhrer-Hitler-didn't like his eye color. Gil started out as a fourth-in-command, but Hitler just threw him away..."  
Ella no longer wanted to talk about such things. Gil was happy now, with Sorrele. "Come on, then. Let's get to Sorrelle's."

As they aproached the small brick house, Ella held tighter to Alfred's hand. "I hope they're home. I hope Ella's phone is just dead..."  
"They're in. Look," He pointed up to a window, "Light's on and there's a moving human shadow."  
"Thank god!" Ella ran to the door and burst in to find Sorrelle combing her shoulder length hair out of her face.  
"Ella! What's wrong!" Sorrelle stood up, "You look like hell!"  
"I was worrying about YOU! You and Gilbert! You didn't answer any of my calls. Didn't text back! Fifteen texts, none answered! What the hell did you do!"  
Sorrelle grabbed her phone, "It's dead. See? I have it on the charger."  
"We've got a meeting, Sorrelle." Alfred strode in, "Why's Gil late for it?"  
"We overslept." She shrugged, "No big deal."  
Ella's frown turned into a smirk, "'Slept', huh? Why do I not believe that?"  
"We slept, Ella. Really."  
"Oh?"  
"Yeah. What about yourself? Now you're engaged, you must have done _something!_" Sorrelle was teasing.  
"W-well... We cuddled..." Ella blushed and avoided Sorrelle's gaze, "That's not what we're worried about right now! Hurry Gil up! We have to go to the meeting!"  
Sorrelle sighed, "Alright. Wait here."

A few minutes later, Sorrelle came back down the stairs followed by Gil. His hair was dripping and stuck to his forehead.  
"You could've let him dry off a bit..." Alfred muttered under his breath.  
"No. His hair's easier to fix when it's wet." Sorrelle reached up and pushed Gil's hair back so it resembled Ludwig's daily style.  
"Sorrelle... I look like my brother now... We're different... I like my hair down, you know that." Gil whined.  
"Too bad! You look nice with it back!" She pushed it back wih more force.  
"I'm keeping it down." He messed it up.  
A loud sigh came from Ella, "Come on you two! We've got to get going!"  
"Oh. Right. We'll take my car." Gil had his porche, built for speeds of the Autobahn, recently shipped to America.  
"Gil, you're not driving." Sorrelle grabbed the keys off the hook, "I've seen the way you drive. It's too... Prussian."  
"You drive like an old lady," He teased, but knew her reasons for her speed, or lack thereof.  
"Fine!" She threw the keys at him, he easily caught them, and they all went out into the driveway where the shiny black car waited.  
"So... How is there enough room in this incredibly small csr for all four of us?" Alfred inquired, looking in the back windows.  
"You'll see." Gil openned the door and folded down the driver's seat, mirrored by Sorrelle on the passenger side. "You and Ella can fit in the back, Sorrelle and I will sit in the front."  
"At least follow the speed limit this time." Sorrelle tossed a glare in his direction as Ella climbed into the back.  
"Yeah, yeah..." He sighed as Alfred climbed into the car, followed by himself. "Come on. We've got to get there soon."  
Sorrelle rolled her eyes and sat in the seat next to him. "Seatbelts. Before we go anywhere, we're putting seatbelts on." Sorrelle clipped her own across her chest and waist, followed by the three others. "Kay. Let's go."

They sped through the streets, Gilbert blaring Mozart. They reached Ella's house in just over six minutes, surprisingly, without getting a speeding ticket. Sorrelle got out, rather annoyed at Gil's reckless driving, and went right for his throat. "What the hell is wrong with you! Are you trying to kill us! It wasn't just me and you in the car this time, _Prussia_!" She tackled him, anger and fear for her little sister welling up, "You could've killed them! Verdammt!"  
"Sorrelle, I-I'm sorry! I thought we needed to hurry!" He put his hands up to protect his face, but she already had a hold on his neck, "Help..."  
"Elle, we're fine! Fine, okay!" Ella grabbed Sorrelle's arm, which seemed to calm her down.  
She loosened her grip on Gilbert's throat, and looked away. "You can't do that... You can't take her away from me..." She put her hands over her eyes and started crying. He knew why she was so obsessed with safe driving. Her father had died because of a drunk driver. Gil had tried to get her to go out to bars before and drink, but had no such luck. She only drank at home.  
"Sorrelle," He pulled her into a hug and sat up, "I'm sorry. I'm still not used to these American roads. You can drive from now on, until I get the hang of it?"  
Alfred sighed, "Come on! We'll be late!"  
"Right." Sorrelle pushed herself away from Gil, wiped her eyes, and put on a cold, blank face. "Let's go then. What's this meeting about?"  
"Ah... European markets. Still haven't fully recovered since the crash ten years ago." Alfred shrugged, "We're going to see what we can do to fix that."  
"O-kay..." Sorrelle hated these meetings. They were always so very boring. Sometimes, she knew, France would skip them too and go do something interesting. She hoped that at least he'd be there this time to provide comic relief.  
"Sorrelle, you've got to pay attention in this meeting. No sleeping. Germany needs your input. You're good at solving things like this. Even though his country is one that has bounced back the best, he still needs help to maintain..." Ella gestured toward Gil, "That. He's such a lavish spender..."  
"Fine. Are Frankie and Tony here?"  
"Why must you give them nicknames, too!" Gil whined.  
"Why must you always complain?" Sorrelle countered.  
"Okay! Come on! Into the house we go!" Alfred shoved the two along with help from Ella. Once inside, they took their seats and waited.

Switzerland cleared his throat and began his report, "Swiss banks are doing much better, although they've never been too awful. We have more money now than ever. Really, we're a blossoming country!"  
"You're bragging, dude." Alfred gave a sharp look to him, "Anyway, it's France's turn."  
France said mainly the same thing, except that he complained about the lack of fun they had in meetings.  
"Well," Came a mutter from a dark corner of the room, 'If we had pineapple, it'd be much more fun..."  
"Pardon me? Monsuir, is there something you wish to add to my repor'?" France glared at the corner.  
"Yes. If we had pineapple, the meeting would be much more fun." Denmark stepped from the shadows, "It makes... certain things... taste better."  
"He means cum." Gil leaned over to whisper in Sorrelle's ear, "But you don't think so, do you?"  
Sorrelle could hardly contain herself, and lost control laughing. She threw her head back and laughed, "He means jizz!" Catching her breath, she couldn't help but giggle more, "Although pineapple is nasty..."  
"W-what...? No way...? We're not really going to talk about this stuff in this meeting, are we!" Ella looked around the room, horrified, but everyone had started their own side conversation about pinapples and jizz.  
Antonio, or Spain, bit into a tomato, "So, Elle, tell me, how is mi amigo? Has he tried the pineapple trick yet?"  
Sorrelle couldn't help but laugh at his joke, "No. No, no, no! Ha! It's nothing like that! A-at least, not yet!"  
Ella sighed, "QUIET!" The room went silent. "Would anyone who is dating or is engaged to a country-my god that still sounds odd-come to the kitchen with me so we can have a meeting of our own. Countries... Continue your reports and attempt to get some work done!"

Sorrelle, Mattie, Ivy and Ella all left the room. When they reached the kitchen, Ella looked at each of them expectantly. "Looks like some of us have some explaining to do."  
"You're not exempt from this, Ella. We'll explain when you do. So please, go ahead."  
Ella tossed Sorrelle a sharp look, "Right. Coming from the AWOL..."  
"You know what, how about we all just calm down and explain it one at a time." Ivy stepped between them.  
"Fine. Yeah, Alfred and I had sex."  
"Mein Gott! Mattie, pull your shirt up!" Sorrelle grabbed the sleeves of Matties shirt and tried to pull it up, only to stop in shock. "What the hell... are _those_!"  
"Are what...?" Mattie played innocent.  
"They look like bite marks," Ivy said, "But how'd they get there...?"  
"What're you guys talking about!" Mattie pulled her shirt up, "You've all gone crazy!"  
"No. Tell us what Ivan's done, Mattie. If he's hurt you..." Ella seemed genuinely upset by the discovery.  
"What! No! He hasn't done anything-at least, not that I didn't want him to do..." Mattie avoided the three pairs of eyes on her, blushing furiously.  
"I see... So, soft and loving Ivan isn't as soft and loving as we thought? How shocking..." Sorrelle rolled her eyes and leaned against the counter.  
"Well, what about your little Pruss-" Mattie began.  
"Don't even go there, Mattie! Gil isn't as perverse and sick as Ivan!"  
"Ivan at least smiles!"  
"So does Gil!" Sorrelle snapped back, "He smiles and is very warm and sweet! We had sugar cubes! Ivan bit you!"  
Ivy sighed, loud enough to draw attention.

"WHAT!" The two women arguing over their sexual encounters glared at her.  
"Clearly you've all had sex with your boyfriends or fiances or whatever..." Ivy grossed her arms over her chest, "Big deal. Stop acting like guys. They're always trying to one-up each other. It's bothersome."  
Mattie and Sorrelle smirked, having the same idea, ""What about you, Ivy...?" Sorrelle stepped closer to her, "I hear that Greece wanted to show you Sparta."  
Ivy let her hair fall into her face, hiding her emotions. "Yes. We went to Sparta and had a lovely time. The only problem was that he had to adopt five kittens while we were there."

"Okay, okay, so we all had sex. Let's move on." Ella said with finality, "Unless it was against your will, lets move on. If it was against your will, then I'll have Alfred start a war with said country, happy?"  
Everyone blinked at her, emotionless for a moment then laughed, "Ella, we're all in relationships with the countries we had sex with! Hell, even Greece and Ivy are in love! And you're ENGAGED now! To Alfred!" Sorrelle hugged her little sister, "You being the map keeper has introduced us to some amazing people-and places, including our boyfriends or fiances."  
Ella smiled lightly, "Right... Ah, Sorrelle, have you and Gil talked about... that...?"  
Sorrelle blinked in confusion, "Kids? Oh! No, no. Ella, we're not even married yet!"  
"No," Ella corrected her, "THAT. The necklace."  
"Oh... No. It's like this is the one thing he's keeping locked away from me... And it's got blood on it, but I'm afraid that he doesn't want it washed off... Afraid that if it is washed off, I'll hurt him..."  
"Sorrelle, Alfred knows. He told me about Gil's time there..." Ella placed a hand on Sorrelles shoulder, "The color of his eyes... It wasn't favorable."  
Mattie wrapped her arms around Sorrelle, followed by Ivy. "It's okay, Sorrelle, if you want to know these things. It's also okay if he's uncomfortable talking about it. Someday, you won't hide anything from each other..."  
"Thanks, Mattie..." She pushed the arms off of her, "Look at me. I'm a wreck..."  
"Oi! Don't demean yourself! Gil's the wreck, in more ways than one!" The corners of Ivys mouth twitched up.  
"He really is. He almost killed us, remember?" Ella joked, bringing out Sorrelle's smile.

In the living room, the designated 'meeting area' for the countries, everyone was talking with their allies or friends about their social life, paying no attention to the actual business.  
Ludwig looked annoyed as his brother talked about Sorrelle and how much he loved her. "Gilbert, really, go talk to someone who'll care. You didn't listen to my warnings, so why should I listen to this?"  
Gil laughed a little, "Oohhh~! Am I making mein kleine Bruder jelous~?"  
Ludwig stood up, "Leave me alone, Gil."  
"Antonio! Hey, hey!" Gil tried in vain to wave his friend over, then sighed. "Hallo! Tony!" That got his attention. It seemed that Sorrelle's nikname had stuck. Secretly, Gil didn't hate the name, just who'dgiven him it. He wanted to be the only one with a nickname from Sorrelle, but now both 'France' and 'Spain' had nicknames from her, too. Frankie and Tony.  
"Ah! Mi amigo! How's the lady?" Tony took a seat next to him with a smile, "I don't mind telling you, I'm jelous. If I were taking my siesta with her-"  
"Well you're not, so it doesn't matter." Gil blushed furiously and crossed his arms. He really hated it when Antonio said things like that. And besides, Sorrelle would never sleep with him. He was far too relaxed for her.  
"Calm down, Gilbert!" He held his hands up, "All I was saying is that you're one lucky guy."  
"Bonjour~!" France took a seat nearby, "Gilbert, tell me, why have you not proposed to Sorrelle?"  
Gil froze. Yesterday he'd... sort of... proposed... But, did that count? Without a ring, he thought it didn't. "I... We're, ah..."  
"Are you afraid of ze lady? Ella, she is not that scary. She knows you love Sorrelle." Francis seemed annoyed at Gil's actions-or lack thereof.  
"We're just waiting, is all! Really! I don't think either of us is ready!"

Tony and Frankie laughed, instantly releasing the tension between the three.

On the other side of the room, Alfred and Ivan were chatting. They spoke freely about innocent thigs like the movement of the troops, how much they loved Mattie and Ella... But both knew that there was more than innocence.  
"Da. She's wonderful," Ivan was agreeing, "So many people think so. She's given me the most wonderful gift I've ever recieved. She gave me Mattie."  
"She's going to make an excellent mother... I mean, if you've seen her with Peter, it's amazing. It's like she was made to be a parent."  
"You are very lucky, Alfred."  
"Don't shortchange yourself, dude. Mattie's good for you, I know it! I've never seen you so relaxed and happy."  
"Thank you." Ivan smiled lightly, a rare hint of color coming to his cheeks. "I am thinking of asking her to marry me. But I do not quite understand how to go about it yet. I heard about your beautiful engagement and was wondering if you could-"  
"I'd love to help you. Here's what you'll need..." Alfred explained the 'do's' and 'don't's' of proposing in great detail as Ivan listenned, happily engrossed in the explanations.

Greece and Kiku sat in the corner, talking very silently so you could barely hear them. Greece was saying something about cats and dogs when Kiku chimed in. "Oh, yes... You may have a cat army but your love is really more like a dog."  
"No! Don't say such things!" He seemed overly dramatic all of a sudden, "She's my beautiful, sexy kitty!"  
"I do not think that was meant to be that loud... Perhaps volume should be turned down?" Japan calmly sipped his tea, flipping through the pages of a Greek history book.  
"Oh... Pardon me. I was destroyed for a moment when you reminded me that... that my beautiful Ivy isn't a lovely kitty... But she's a blood-thirsty dog!" He buried his face in Kiku's shoulder and cried.  
"Yes. But she does not want to kill you, Greece. Just your cats and all their irresistableness."  
"Maybe... I was thinking of sending some of my cats to lonely older people, so Ivy'd love me more... But I think we're just fine... I mean, she has four dogs..."  
"Yes. You two make wonderful couple. She loves Greece for Greece."  
"Thanks Japan. That means alot..."

Finished with his conversation, Gil decided he'd go check on Sorrelle and the map keeper. As he poked his head around the door, Sorrelle whirled around, misty-eyed. "Why didn't you tell me?" She held out the blood-spattered iron cross, "I had to hear it from Ella, who had to hear it from Alfred! You didn't have he courage to tell me yourself!"  
Gilbert looked away, "You have no idea... He was my boss, so I had to do as he said."  
"I don't care what Hitler made you do, damnit! I care about how that affected you!" She ran to him, took a handful of his shirt, and let the tears come. Usually she wouldn't have cried so much in one day, but what with his recklessness and then her finding out the story behind his necklace... "I love you... I want to know if you're in any kind of pain."  
"Ha... I'm going to leave you two to it, then." Ivy slipped out of the kitchen, followed by Mattie.  
"Thanks, Ella... I'm glad she heard it from you, even if she would have rather heard it from me."

"Y'know what... I'm just going to join the others..." She left the two, standing two feet awa from each other. "Think they'll be alright?" She looked at Mattie, who just shrugged. "Sorrelle's proved herself more than able to handle things... But learning that the person she cares about the most endured the horrors of the Holocaust... I'm not sure she'll survive." Ella hoped she was wrong. She hoped Gil and Sorrelle's relationship wouldn't crumble because of this awful thing.  
"Ella, there you are~!" Alfred scooped her up and kissed her, "My beautiful fiance~!"  
"Where's Peter?" She pulled away to look around the room for the boy who had become like a son to her. Sealand.  
"He's taking a nap in the guest room. I said he could, since noneof us really did much more than socialize, and he's so young..." Alfred sighed, "I wish we could adopt him, but we can't..."  
"Even so, I'm glad he's in our lives." Ella smiled happily, "He's such a sweet kid. I'm sure he can become a country someday."  
"With an excellent mother like you, he can."  
"Thank you. I love you too, Alfred." She hugged his neck and kissed him on the cheek.

Back in the kitchen, Sorrelle waited tensely for Gilbert to do anything. When he finally did, she was not expecting it. "Sorrelle, I kept it from you because I knew you'd be upset. I knew that it would hurt you. I just... It's part of my history. It taught the world something. So much good came of it, Sorrelle, after all the death and destruction..." He reached out to brush her cheek with his hand, but she pushed it away.

"You didn't even tell me what the blood's from! Not even if I could wash it or not!"

"Sorrelle, I gave it to you so you could choose to either dwell in the past, or live in the now. It's you're choice. Ich liebe Dich." He grabbed her arm and pulled her into a hug.  
They stood like that for a few moments before she pulled away. "I choose... To live anew..." She breathed, "I'm going to wash it off. But, before I do, who's is it?"  
"While I was at the camp, there was this little girl... She was so little... Only eight years old. They had her working on a plantation outside of the camp during the day... She said this gave her hope... Then one night, I had a bright idea to escape with her. It didn't work. We were both shot." He looked down at the floor. "I was the lucky one, me being a country and all... She was shot in the back and killed. I killed that sweet little kid. So that blood that you're so curious about is hers. She wore that the night she died."  
"Oh... I... Did she have a name?"  
"Inga. She was so innocent..."  
"When we have our first girl, I'm going to name her Inga." Sorrelle stepped up to him, a tearful smile on her face, "In a way, you did set her free. She's no longer a slave." With that, she moved over to the sink and rinsed the iron cross off, polishing it until it glistenned. "Inga Beilschmidt. It's beautiful."  
"Sorrelle, I thought you didn't want any-"  
"You've been listenning to me talk in mysleep again, haven't you?"  
"I can't help it. You're so cute..."

"I hate that word... 'Cute,' ugh..." She shuddered, "C'mon. Let's go out with the others." She grabbed his hand and casually dragged him out into the living room, where all eyes turned on them and particularly to the iron cross around Sorrelle's neck. "Why are they staring...?"  
"The cross. It's clean if Inga's blood, around your neck, and beautiful... Either that, or it's just you that's beautiful." He smiled at her.

"It's the cross." Sorrelle shrugged, "Inga would be proud."  
"Sorrelle, come sit with us!" Tony waved the couple over, "We were just talking about you two!"  
"Be right there! We've got to talk to Alfred and Ella." She hurried over to her younger sister, "Hey, Ella..."  
"Wow! Sorrelle, you cleaned the necklace up! It looks great on you! Can I try it on!" Alfred gushed.  
"I don't think that's such a good-" Ella began.  
"No. Gil gave it to me as a present. It's special." She wrapped her fingers around it, "I'm not going to take it off so that _you_ can try it on!"

"Okay, okay! Calm down!" He put his hands up, "Geez... This is why I won't let Ella wear my glasses just yet."  
"Huh? What're you talking about?" Sorrelle tilted her head to the side, "I don't understand..."  
"Well, his necklace is like my glasses... It can show you flashes of history through our perspective... Sooner or later, you'll see Inga... Possibly even her death..."  
Gil looked away, ashamed, as Sorrelle's eyes widened, "Y-you mean... I'll see the Holocaust... And the War of Austrian Succession... And the Seven Year's war...? All through his eyes...?"  
"As well as whatever memories he has of your ancestors, if any of them were Prussian and he knew them." Alfred was so calm about all of it, he seemed unnatural.  
"Alfred, please don't tell her that..." Ella gripped his wrist tightly, "I don't want her to feel like she has to carry those things on her shoulders..."  
"I'm sorry, Ella, but it's the same with you. That's why I'm not letting you wear my glasses yet. They'll let you see history through my eyes."  
"Alfred, I want to see it. Nine-eleven, I mean. I want to see what you saw that day. I want to see the person my mother saved." Ella looked down at her hand, still on his arm.  
"I tell you what," He smiled at her lovingly, "The night before we get married, I'll let you wear them. Then you can see it."  
"But Sorrelle-"  
"You're not Sorrelle, and I'm not careless." He shot Gilbert a glance.

"What is going on over-" Ludwig's eyes widened as he saw the necklace, "Gilbert..."  
"I know, I know. I made a mistake giving it to her." He kept his head down.  
"Inga's blood... Where is it?" He grabbed the cross, a look of sorrow coming over his face.  
"I washed it off, Lud. I've decided that we can't continue dwelling in the past. Although Inga, the poor girl, will not be forgotten. Even though I know so little about her, I feel like I know her..." Sorrelle held Gil's hand tightly with her left hand, her right clenched in a tight fist causing her fingernails to cut through her skin.  
"Why'd you give it to her, Gil?" Ludwig's blue eyes searched his face.  
"I had to. She needed to see it for herself in order to understand. Just telling her about it wouldn't work..."  
"Gil, I want to go home."  
"What're you talking about?"  
"I wanna go to Leipzig, Gil. It'll be a nice change. We need to get away." Sorrelle chewed her lip violently, drawing blood that filled her mouth.  
"I think it'd be good for you two," Ella put in, "But don't go just to stay in his house. Go see some sights."  
"Yeah! Dude, you should totally take her to the Dome!"  
"Are you referring to the Kölner Dom?" Sorrelle blinked at him.  
"Yeah. It's amazing!" Alfred looked off into the distance dreamily, remembering his first time there. It was his fourth date with Ella. One of the most romantic places that he'd ever seen.  
"I know... I've always dreamed of going there, but... It's just never happened."  
"So go! Now's your chance, Elle! We'll hold down the fort for you here." Ella smiled at her, "Please, go."  
"I dunno. I've got to make arrangements with the theatre..."  
"So do it now." Gil handed her the phone, "And then we can get outta here."  
"Right." She took the phon and dialed the number to the theatre. A hushed conversation followed. Sorrelle hung up and sighed, looking rather disappointed. "Well... I guess that's that..."

"Oh no... You didn't lose your position, did you?" Gil looked at her worried, "I'm sorry, Sorrelle."  
"Oh, no! That's not it." A grin spread across her face, "They said I can be gone until next week. Which means, we're going!" She hugged him, "We're going to Germany!"  
"Really...? So, we're free?"  
Ella shoved the two towards her room and the map, "Go!"  
Gil clapped twice, "Home." Before they new it, they were on his porch, still holding each other.  
"So... Now that we're here... What're we gonna do first?" She rested her head on his chest to listen to his heart. She loved how his heartbeat matched hers exactly.  
"First thing we're going to do is hide inside for the first day and do whatever we want to each other." Gil smirked, "I know what _I'm_ going to do~!"  
Sorrelle rolled her eyes and moved towards the front door, "Of course you do..."  
"So, we'll sit in a nice warm bath and-"  
"This place is a mess!" Sorrelle stared into the living room. It was a pigsty. "How' it get like _this!_" She hated how messy and careless he was. "After all my hard work to get it to be cobweb free... You go and make a mess of it!"  
"I'm sorry..."  
"Our plans just changed. The first thing we're doing is cleaning. Then we'll take that bath and go to the Dom and-" She was caught off guard when he pushed her against the door fream e and kissed her, so she fought to push him away. "What the hell!"  
"You're cute when you're pissed." He shrugged.  
Another little thing she hated about him was his timing. Gil was the only one who seemed to catch her off-guard. She didn't like i. "Don't do things like that to people."  
"Don't deny me one of my little pleasures." He shot back.  
"Life isn't just sex, idiot."  
"Wanna see how it can be?"  
"Stop taunting me. I'm going to start cleaning. Help or don't. If you chose not to, stay out of the way."  
He blinked at her in confusion. She usually wasn't this... mean. "O-okay... I'll just... I'll go start on the bedroom." He stepped passed her, avoiding eye contact, and hurried into the house and up the stairs.  
Sorrelle began realizing little things that she hated about Gil suddenly. Even she didn't expect to find so much. His driving, his surprises, how he cleaned, how careless he was... She didn't understand it. "You do that..." She spoke to the empty space where he stood a moment ago, "I love you..." With that, she began her sullen work of cleaning, and, three hours later, the living room actually looked like a living room-as opposed to a war zone.  
"Sorrelle!" A pained cry called from up the stairs, "A little help! Bitte! Macht schnell!"  
"What's the problem?" She hurried to the base of the steps, where she could hear him better. She'd started on cleaning the dining room, and had a job of her own. Couldn't he do his own work!  
"I... I'm caught."  
She sighed in exasperation, "On what?"  
"In a snare... Hurry! It hurts!"  
For an instant, she wondered why he had a snare in the bedroom, then rushed up to help. "Mein Gott!" Sorrelle looked over the scene quickly, "Okay, hold still. Just don't move your leg." She felt herself begin to panic. The snare had its jaws tightly around his knee, breaking the skin and causing crimson blood to pool around his wound. She grabbed the snare's jaws and forced them open, hearing a scream of agony from Gil. "Are you okay! Oh my god... This is my fault! If I hadn't left you-"  
"It's not you fault. If you hadn't left me, then none of the cleaning would have gotten done. I'm not a toddler anymore, Sorrelle." He smiled at her gently, forcing back the waves of dizziness that had come over him.  
_So reckless... He could've been killed, and here he is worrying about what I wanted to get done... _"Alright, I'm going to have to cut your pants..."  
"With what?" He blinked at her, only half concious.  
"You can't die, right? I mean, y-you're an immortal because you're a country... Right?" She ran her fingers nervously through her hair, "Hey, stay awake!"  
"I can't die, but I can get hurt and..." He paused, "I can lose consiousness."  
"I can't find anything to cut them with, so I'll have to take your pants off over the wound..."  
"Heh... And not too long ago you felt awkward helping undress me..."  
"Th-that was before... And then we did..." She fumbled with his belt, "Sorry if it hurts a little, but we've got to get them over the wound..."  
"Sorrelle," He pushed himself up, using the dresser to support himself, "I'm glad that, ah, you're here. I'm glad that you didn't abandon me."  
He'd done it again. Caught her off guard with something impossibly meaningful. "So am I," She said briskly, "Or you'd have to learn how to take your own pants off."  
He winced as she tugged on the leg, "R-right... That's what I meant..."  
"Isn't it though?" She didn't mean to snap as she tugged his pants completely off.  
He sighed and said no more as she proceeded to clean and dress the wound.  
"Done. You can stand now. I'm going to go finish the dining room. Be more careful from now on." She stood up without even giving him a second look.  
"Wait!" He grabbed her, not realizing how very upset she was. She looked down at her wrist, his hand tightly locked onto it. "Sorrelle, there's something going on, isn't there? What is it?"  
"I've got cleaning to do." Her voice was filled with venom. She ripped her arm out of his grasp and was gone.


End file.
